5 Secrets Cockroaches Don’t Want You to Know

If you think roaches hide in the walls to evade pest control, you’re right. If you think these bugs are just trying to avoid human encounters, you’re wrong. Here are five bizarre facts cockroaches prefer to keep under wraps.

1. Roaches Remember and Drool – You won’t see roaches pushing buzzers on Jeopardy, but they can develop memories. Scientists discovered that the insects learn to associate specific odors with sugar solutions. The giveaway comes when roaches drool at the odors without sweet treats in the equation. Pavlov’s dog would be disappointed to know his accomplishments were replicated by bugs that we consider brainless.

2. They Don’t Need Heads – It’s not a scary urban myth; roaches can live for weeks without their heads. While this sounds like a weird super power, it’s possible because they sport simple circulatory systems and breathe through tiny holes in their body. They don’t need heads to raid your cabinets, but they do need their mouths to eat, so the headless bugs eventually die of starvation.

3. Roaches Love Your Beer – They don’t care if you prefer a national brand or a Lone Star longneck. These insects can’t pass up a cold one because they relish hops, sugar and alcohol. Roaches are known to sip an occasional cabernet, but they really love a good brew. You can take comfort in the fact that drinking too much is lethal to these beer moochers.

4. People Like to Eat Them – This is the one secret roaches hate sharing. They’re edible and considered a delicacy in many cultures. Boiled, toasted or sautéed, these protein-packed bugs are a healthy choice relished by diners around the globe. Fried roaches are a popular snack in Asian bars where the insects are served along with cold beer, but that trend probably won’t catch on here in Texas.

5. You Can’t Outrun Them – If you’re in great shape, you can run 6 miles per hour, so why can’t you outmaneuver roaches? These accomplished sprinters only hit speeds of 3 miles per hour, but that would factor out at closer to 200 miles per hour if they were your size. The insects also have six very flexible legs, lightning reflexes and plenty of secret hiding places.

It’s hard to believe what cockroaches can do. ABC Home & Commercial Services knows all their secrets, so give us a call. We’ll make sure roaches don’t hide anything in your home.

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Another great blog post. It’s funny to see humans trying to outrun a cockroach. Visions of a housewife brandishing a broom while running against a cockroach comes to mind. And since they like beer, it is best to keep your favorite beverages out of the house once you’re done drinking. A beer trap is not a bad idea, though, since these pests have low alcohol tolerance.

With roaches having so many secret hiding places, though, seeing a couple may mean there’s more. Let experts hunt them down for you as they know where these critters like to hide in.

Most people, especially in Texas, think that cockroaches are nasty, but they actually have several interesting qualities to them. The fact that cockroaches can live weeks without a head is both interesting and disturbing to me. When my daughter encounters a cockroach, she doesn’t try to outrun it, but she always looks for somewhere to climb up to.